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The not so Ghan Train JourneyThe not so Ghan Train Journey
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A life goal, taking the Ghan train from Darwin to Adelaide. 🐫🚂 Read more

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  • Travel with CarlThe not so Ghan Train Journey
    Day 1

    New frequent flying year

    April 16 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 20 °C

    Welcome to the start of a new adventure that’s been several years in the making. I’m heading up to Darwin tonight to take the Ghan down to Adelaide over 3 nights. But first, it’s time for a flight. It’s my first flight of my frequent flyer year with Qantas, and this flight is earning me double status credits. I’m still unsure if I’ll bother to maintain platinum this year, but whatever I do, it’s great to move those status credits above zero again.

    I got to the airport feeling a little off today. I’ve got a slight cold and carrying a little extra anxiety today. If you’re following my Instagram reels, you’ll know I’ve been doing a lot lately and at the moment I’ve kinda crashed a little. Alas, nothing gets in the way of me and a flight so checked in, I headed up to the lounge for a pre-flight snack.

    The Qantas business lounge in Melbourne has the “Spice Bar” serving up Asian-inspired dishes every day from lunchtime onwards. On the menu today was a beef or vegetable rendang. Despite knowing the onion would bloat me, I went for it anyway as I figured a bit of spice might clear out my nose a bit - and it did. The lounge was packed this afternoon, a combination of school holidays and the regular evening peak making for a full house.

    Boarding was on time and easy and before long we pushed back exactly on time. It’s a beautiful afternoon in Melbourne with the sky beginning to light up with lovely colours pre-dawn. Taking off to the north we climb out of Melbourne heading for Brisbane. I’m not flying direct (of course for me) given my lifelong motto of “why fly direct when you can connect”. This first leg up to Brisbane is in economy, but I’m in row 4 so I have plenty of legroom. I’m also not tall so that helps.

    Up, up and well and truly away, the crew serve up a warm snack. Today’s snack is a pack of cottage cheese and spinach samosas, accompanied by a choice of drinks. I opt against a wine given how I’m feeling and instead dine with a can of original coca-cola. Dinner snack complete, the crew offered Lindt balls (strawberry and cream flavoured) to finish off the meal service.

    While I miss the “good old days” when you used to get a meal on a tray even domestically, I think the inflight service on Qantas has improved in the last couple of years. The hot snacks definitely make a differentiation in service between their rival, Virgin Australia, who effectively is just an upbeat Jetstar nowadays.

    The rest of the flight is easy and uneventful, with WiFi working when it feels like it but still allowing me to track myself on Flighty and FlightRadar24. Avgeek mode is now activated, despite feeling a tad tired already. Landing in Brisbane early, my next plane is waiting for me at the next gate, albeit delayed. Time to hit the lounge up, relax, and wait.    Read more

  • Travel with CarlThe not so Ghan Train Journey
    Day 2

    Taking the Q & NT in Qantas to Darwin

    April 17 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    A bit of a delay for my next flight, but that’s okay as the Brisbane lounge was dead quiet and relaxing. Actually, most of Brisbane Airport was quiet tonight. Seems 7:30 p.m. is a bit late to have shops open in the terminal. With the delay, I can tell you what an older lady told me as we were approaching to land in Brisbane. “When I lived in Brisbane, I bought my house here for $21,000. I just sold it for $2.1 million.” Thanks for sharing, boomer!

    While waiting in the lounge, I grabbed another meal, this time a chicken curry. There is something about airports and flying - I seem to just eat so many meals. Hungry? Nope. Just can’t seem to turn down a free meal. Oh well, will walk it off on the train later in the week?

    Boarding was delayed as the inbound plane from Perth was late. Like my last flight, I’ve also been on this plane twice before. Once to Auckland and once to Sydney. I love these little facts that the Flighty app tracks about me. Once onboard, there is a blanket and pillow waiting for me at my seat, a nice touch for a domestic flight. This time I’m flying in business class, using some points to upgrade to the pointy leg for this longer flight to Darwin. Our flight time is about 4 hours across to Darwin, arriving at the ungodly hour of 12:45 a.m.!

    We taxi out to the new runway and depart out of Brisbane, heading around the city and then northwest towards Emerald. The crew begin the service with 3 choices for mains. Beef Ragu, a Roast Chicken with mushroom sauce, or a Chicken salad. I opt for the beef Ragu which comes with some pasta. It’s my 4th hot meal today! It’s served with cheese and crackers, bread and delicious butter, and a side salad topped with smoked salmon. I don’t really eat fish, so I give the side dish a miss. I notice that the other 5 seats I can see also skip the side salad.

    The meal was nice enough, washed down with a glass of Chardonnay. A dark chocolate bar from Koko Black makes a nice dessert while watching Wicked on the in-flight entertainment. A lot of airlines, Qantas included, are moving away from inbuilt seatbelt entertainment on newer narrow-body planes. Yes, they now offer wifi and streaming to your own device, but I do like having the seatback screen as an option. I watch Wicked for the second time while finishing off my wine and enjoying the chocolate.

    As I said earlier, the flight is a little over 4 hours today. I’ve been looking at intra-European flights lately, none of which will be as long as this hop between 2 states. (Well, actually, a state and a territory, if I’m being a pedant.) Australia is a really big place, and aviation plays a very important role. While I’m being a nerd and contemplating the size difference between Australia and Europe, the crew comes by with ice cream. I don’t need or want ice cream, but I eat half the mini tub anyway. I’ll be the tubby one by the end of this flight.

    I finish up Wicked and still have 45 minutes left of the flight, so I decide to try a new comedy. Coming from America is the choice. Not sure if this is reality tv or comedy. Anyway, it filled in the last 45 minutes as I skirted the coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria and then made landfall again approaching Darwin.

    I start to doze about 30 seconds before the lights are turned back on for our approach. It’s past both my bedtime and pumpkin o’clock. The flight was pretty good, and I’m glad I upgraded for the extra space. Sure, it’s just a recliner seat that could use a little more arse padding, but it was nice to have leg and elbow space.

    Checking in on FlightRadar24, there are 7 arrivals, including 2 from Singapore landing into Darwin between 12:30 a.m. and 1:30 a.m. Seems like I’m arriving at Darwin’s peak hour. And I wasn’t wrong. Darwin airport was pumping when I arrived - so much busier than Brisbane was and had shops open. I’m glad I didn’t check a bag, so my landing I could go straight for an Uber.

    With now 2 flights completed in this frequent flyer year, it’s time to head to my hotel and get to sleep. Let’s see what Darwin has to offer me tomorrow. Goodnight for now.    Read more

  • Travel with CarlThe not so Ghan Train Journey
    Day 2

    Tunnels underneath Darwin

    April 17 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    I woke up still feeling not the best but made my way to a local café for an açai bowl packed with fruit and an immune buster juice. My plan for today is to do a bit in the morning, nap, then do something else in the afternoon. Basically, a quiet day. It’s a beautiful sunny day up here in Darwin and with that it’s hot 🥵! After breakfast I walk back to my hotel to freshen up before heading out to explore a little.

    I decide tonight to check out the WWII oil tunnels under the city this morning. I figured that it would be out of the sun and normally underground is a pretty constant cooler temperature. I start walking there along the foreshore of the harbour but then decide to take a beam scooter instead. I really enjoy using these to explore places as they are relatively cheap, speedy and easy to stop places if something takes your eye. It’s a shame we can’t have nice things in Melbourne (like scooters).

    I zoom along the foreshore feeling like a giddy school kid on his first ride and quickly arrive at the harbour and tunnel entrance. I pay my $10 entry fee and the lady looking after the tunnel informs me that it is quite hot inside so to take it easy and sit under the fans if I get too hot. Hot? Underground? Not what I was expecting but okay.

    The tunnels were built during WWII as an oil storage that was a bit harder to bomb during air raids. Built using hand tools in a constant 32 degrees and almost 100% humidity would have been horrendous. I’m glad for the fans as I walk through, something those builders of this tunnel would have appreciated if they existed back then.

    I slowly wander the length, reading some of the information about the history. I do find it a bit disappointing that when describing the area, it all starts from the 1800’s and pretty much ignores the First Nations history, but you get that I guess from colonial history telling. Although war history isn’t really my vibe, I do like the brutalist structure that remains and like how it’s been turned into an attraction.

    Water is leaking in from many parts of the walls, which makes me wonder how the oil and water, which don’t mix, mixed back in the day. It’s not a long visit, but I’m glad I checked it out. Visit complete, I consider continuing on exploring to the art gallery but decide to take a chill back at my hotel instead. No need to burn out on morning number 1. My watch thinks I’m cycling as I effortlessly scoot back to my hotel for some much-needed hydration and cooling off.    Read more

  • Travel with CarlThe not so Ghan Train Journey
    Day 2

    Gallery of White NT?

    April 17 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C

    After a short nap, I jumped back on a scooter and zoomed my way out to the Museum and Gallery of the NT. The ride there was fun, cheap, and relatively quick with a nice coastal view as I got closer to the museum. It was a bit weird when Google Maps directed me to go through the high school to get there, but oh well 🤷🏼‍♂️.

    I’d come to the gallery as I wanted to learn a bit more about the NT and its cultural heritage. I must say I was a little disappointed. It was definitely more museum than gallery, but that’s okay. It was the content of the exhibitions that kind of got me thinking they missed the plot. There was a gallery on film and media in wars - which I kind of get given the military history of Darwin, but not my thing. There was also an area about transformation - think animals, dinosaurs, and the like.

    Cyclone Tracey was up next, which I enjoyed a bit more, including a dark room (no, not that kind, naughty 😈) that had noises that mimicked the sound of a cyclone. The high school works exhibition was the main art piece, with some creative students presenting some really good works. A section on invertebrates had some nice photos of some creepy critters, and the outside section had a heap of old boats. It was like a sauna out there though, so I didn’t stay long.

    What the museum-cum-gallery didn’t really do well was much Aboriginal / First Nations art or history. Insert my inner-city woke rant here. What they had was practically a hallway between exhibits, which was interesting, but I feel that the gallery for the Northern Territory should have more that represents its traditional owners - and a large part of its tourism attractiveness!

    Where was there Aboriginal art - the gift shop. It was full of things you could buy with Aboriginal prints on them, postcards, and other trinkets. It seems they are okay with commercialising it, but not really displaying it or telling their stories. So, in a bit of a disappointed lefty mood, I grabbed an Uber back into the city for a late lunch. Maybe I was just hangry, but really NT - do better!    Read more

  • Travel with CarlThe not so Ghan Train Journey
    1
    Day 2

    Never smile at a crocodile 🐊

    April 17 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 32 °C

    When in Rome, you see the Colosseum. When in Darwin, you see a crocodile. I didn’t fancy encountering one in the wild, so I paid a visit to Crocosaurus Cove right in the centre of Darwin. But before I watched people get fed to these prehistoric beasts, I fed myself some Subway with a side of topless guys, including MAFS player Billy. I didn’t watch MAFS, but the girl behind me did and got a photo with him and an invite to go to ladies’ night tonight. I’m guessing his marriage at first sight didn’t last 🤔

    After I picked my jaw up off the table post-Subway lunch with a view, I walked around to Crocosaurus Cove. While waiting to buy a ticket, the man behind me asked if I was on a flight last night. I replied, “Yes, and I was sitting next to you!”. Darwin appears to be a small town.

    I’d missed the official feeding times for the crocs, but I still got to see 2 groups get dunked in the tank with a crocodile. I had no interest in putting myself in the tank. Not because I think the crocodile would eat me, but more so about being in the geeky crocodile and raw meat juice water. It was cool to see the crocodiles explore the people in the cage though. I wonder what they are thinking? Are they just playing a long game, waiting to find a weakness in the cage and a nice plump human to gobble up?

    The rest of the centre included cute baby crocodiles, a tank full of juvenile ones, and an indoor reptile centre full of snakes and lizards that gave me shivers. I also watched a fish feeding presentation for some freshwater stingrays, which the kid who was in there feeding was scared of.

    I’m glad I can and had a look here, as it’s kind of one of those images of Darwin that is plastered across their advertising. That said, it was bloody hot and sweaty today, so once I’d seen it all, I didn’t linger and headed back to my hotel for some cool chill times.    Read more

  • Travel with CarlThe not so Ghan Train Journey
    Day 5

    Not so Ghan holiday now 🤒😷

    April 20 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    Well, that wasn’t in the planned itinerary. On Thursday night, I woke up after only an hour or 2 of sleep with a massive fever, complete with those full-body shakes that, as much as you try and stop them, they keep going. Panadol and then ibuprofen and then both Panadol and ibuprofen together did nothing to improve the fever, which was then joined with muscle aches and pains and an aggressive dry cough.

    With no sleep, I headed to the chemist to pick up some rapid tests to see if I had anything to worry about. And I did. Influenza A has decided to attach itself to me for this trip. I use Updoc as it’s a public holiday, and everything is closed. Given my symptoms, I get given Tamiflu to try and stop the flu early. I’m also told in no uncertain terms that going on the Ghan on Saturday morning, filled with generally an older clientele, is not an option. “Everyone will have it by the time you get to Adelaide”.

    I thought of waiting to see how I felt in the morning, but I felt so unwell I made the call to cancel the Ghan. On one level, I’m really upset that I had to cancel. I’ve waited 3 years for this trip. Part of it was a gift from my late husband, Thom. So it had a fair bit of sentimentality attached to it. Despite that, I literally had no energy to feel or express any emotion towards cancelling it. In cancelling, at least the decision was made, and the anxiety over having to be well for it was gone.

    So, 3 days since my last post, I’m halfway through the antivirals. My fever is lower, and I had a mostly sweat-free night. I’m still in Darwin, just resting in my hotel. I booked a different hotel that had a 1-bedroom apartment so I had more room to relax. I was starting to get cabin fever, or maybe a taste of what hotel quarantine must have been like. My new hotel has a balcony for brief visits for fresh air, although the heat and humidity are killing me. I’ve decided to fly south to Adelaide tomorrow to escape this heat and hopefully be well enough to at least recover something from this not-so-Ghan holiday.    Read more

  • Travel with CarlThe not so Ghan Train Journey
    Day 6

    Slowly repatriating myself

    April 21 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 15 °C

    When people say “oh, I had the flu but was better after a day or two”, those people do not, in fact, have the flu. I discovered this the hard way. By Monday, my fever was controlled by a combination of Panadol and ibuprofen, so I decided to take a run for it and start the trip home. I had considered just flying back to Melbourne, but all the flights direct left between midnight and 2 am and were overnight flights. I did not have the energy for that. Instead, I decided to leave the heat and humidity of Darwin and fly to Adelaide instead.

    I’d tentatively booked this in on Saturday as being the Easter long weekend, flights were booking out and were already expensive. On Monday, I checked out of my hotel and headed the 15 mins to the airport. The Darwin Qantas lounge was much bigger than I had imagined, and I took up a seat near the windows that looked over the apron. Still feeling rubbish, I just had a coke and a bread roll as I really didn’t have an appetite. I also chucked on my jumper as the air con was set to Antarctic levels. Why is it that hot climates always seem to overcompensate with excessive air conditioning? 🥶 ❄️

    My points upgrade came through, which gave me a solo seat on the E190. I appreciated this as it kept me away from others and meant I didn’t feel bad stretching out and napping awkwardly all the way to Adelaide. The meal on board was the most I’ve eaten in days and started with an orange juice and nuts, followed by a chicken curry with rice, bread, and the usual cheese and crackers and chocolate. Obviously, alcohol was offered, but there was no way I was up for that. I stuck with juice and Coca-Cola.

    I napped most of the way, waking occasionally and taking a photo out the window of the landscape below. I find it amazing how Aboriginal paintings from pre-colonialism show scenes similar to the landscape view you get from 35,000 ft. The view of central Australia is stunning from up here, even if I would have preferred to be down below, well and on the Ghan, seeing it at a more micro level. Oh well.

    Arriving in Adelaide, it was a quick 15-min ride from the airport to my CBD hotel, where I would ensconce myself for two nights to recover before taking my original flight home again.    Read more

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